Why Microsoft should spam us with DVDs of Vista.

Ok, I accidentally deleted the eRecovery software that comes with my Acer Aspire and I haven't had a chance to burn an image of the recovery partitition onto a DVD. I tried reinstalling eRecovery by downloading it from Acer's support site but the damn thing doesn't have the option to allow me to burn a recovery disc anymore!

Then, I got to thinking if I actually wanted to burn a DVD of a recovery partition that would just wipe out my hard drive in one go instead of actually trying to repair it and preserve the data. I also got to thinking about what a pain it would be to reinstall all the patches from Windows Update if I did a fresh install. Since I don't have an "actually useful copy" of Windows Vista, I can't slip stream the recovery disc with any updates using a tool such as vLite since the image from the recovery partition is somehow "protected".

Why did they have to go and make recovery such a pain in the ass? We all know that Windows gets crappy after a while and a fresh install can clean things up. This prompted me to search Microsoft's site to see if I could download a fresh image of Vista so that I could burn it to a DVD with slip streamed patches.

No luck.

There is a bootable CD image that Microsoft has provided that you can use to try and repair Vista if things go haywire, but that is not the same thing as actually being able to do a fresh install with updated patches. Now, I know Microsoft gives away trial copies of Office 2007 through their website by a download. This trial copy has all the code of the full version, but you just need to activate it with a product key. If Microsoft does a major revamp of Office 2007, you could just download a new DVD image through their site.

Why can't Microsoft do this for Windows? Why cripple OEM computers with obfuscated recovery partitions? Why not provide downloads and DVDs of Vista that give you a trial and where you can activate them with a product key?

This would definitely help the adoption of Vista if people got their hands on a disc that would allow them to trial it. Microsoft could follow the footsteps of AOL and insert a disc of their software into every computer magazine circulated. Put a disc in NY Times and give the general public a decent way of recovering an OEM computer.

Sadly, this is not the case. Either I'm going to have to burn a copy of a friend's Vista DVD or I'm going to have to bittorrent the thing. I need a usuable copy of Vista so that I can actually do proper recovery discs!!!

Damn the Devil!

 

One word: Piracy.

Almost all computers used to ship with an Anytime Upgrade disc.

 

Well, they are giving away full copies of Office 2007 that you just need the product key for so I don't see why they would be concerned about piracy if they did this.

 

You probably should have burnt the image before your constant tweaking.

 

I do not see how piracy would matter frankly...
A. They would need a valid install code
B. If they really wanted to pirate, they would like they are now, no different. This wouldn't cause any new pirates, because it is the same concept, except, this is prob. harder, because this will not be hacked already, and it would then require work from the downloader.

Thus, i like that idea, but with xp discs too xD

 

Call acer, pay the 30 or so $$ to get the recovery disk.
and for the future always make your RC disks no matter what.

 

Meh, I don't do idiotic tweaks and I know how to undo them. I'd still prefer to get a slip streamed copy of Vista instead of going through the agony of installing all the patches again and removing all the crapware that comes on OEM discs.

BTW, I just flashed by bios from Acer's v1.10 to v1.32. The bios seems to take a few seconds less to load now but something is slowing down Vista's boot time now.

 

I'm not paying $30 for something that has crapware on it and that I can't slip stream or do a recovery boot from.

 

Welcome to OEM world of Microsoft. I had the same problem with my lappy but I burnt recovery discs and then proceeded to make an XP disc from my laptop factory installation. Fresh install and bye bye to all spamware and other useless crap

 

If you can get your hands on a Anytime Upgrade disc, this might be of use to you:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

 

Fortunately sony included a clean copy of Vista in my laptop's hard drive, which I used to burn a vista DVD.

 

Fortunately Dell includes a copy of Vista already burned on a DVD.

 

If the laptop is still booting to vista, then get the activation_backup and activation_restore software (google it), then make a clean installation of vista. Of course prior to format your drive, be sure to save your activation key on a usb memory stick or a CD

work like a charm.

You can even install the 64Bit vista if you want. I did and wont go back to the 32bit vista.

Big difference in the performance of the computer, specially in games. Also, the CPU temps has decreased significantly

 

grabber_grabbs: the only problem is .... the OP has no discs.

 

check out orev's clean install thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228
its got links for legal vista downloads

EDIT: oops never mind they don't work anymore

 

They don't work anymore.

You can still get clean isos through torrents though, already slipstream with SP1.

 

So provided you have a legit key, as long as you have a Windows Upgrade Anytime disk, you could install the version of Vista that you have a key for, and activate it, correct?

 

Would that work with a vista OEM license? I've not had the chance to try that. I did play around with upgrade anytime disk and found it worthless...

The ideal situation would be to order the disks from the proper place, the manufacture of the laptop... but the OP refuses to do that.

https://secure3.tx.acer.com/RCD/Main.aspx

 

Torrents? Oh, boy, and no telling what other great features will be added to your install.

 

Based on the inaccurate perception that Vista is somehow less than XP/SP2, I tend to concur that Microsoft would be wise to send a Vista/SP1 DVD, in the Vista version that is licensed, to all WGA Activated Vista licensees.

They know who we are.

 

Yes.

The Anytime Upgrade disc is IDENTICAL to the Vista retail and OEM discs. You can use it to do a clean install just as if it were any other Vista disc. They are all the same.

@OP:
Vista does not support slipstreaming, and whatever vLite is doing to make it happen is not supported and can/could result in a corrupted install or one that does not activate properly. I think vLite is very cool, but slipstreaming is one of the questionable things it does.

 

Huh? Torrents are very safe, just learn to read the comments/all the description

 

No, they are not... well, most are not safe. It is like playing rush and roulette with a 357...

 

I had one of those and attempted to load vista pre in a virtual pc and it would not work.... this was maybe 7 to 12 months ago so something could have changed. I ended up loading the v pre with the backup from the computer manufacture... Sure I might have done something wrong though... it was one of my first times messing with it.

 

just to add to orev...
vLite is currently in BETA for SP1 Slipstreaming.
Also, when you create a slipstreamed disc, it is only for one version of vista

 

ok the download links for vista have been refound (is that a word?)
heres the thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=240320

 

yay for working links.

 

Should we tell Microsoft?

After we all download a copy first, of course.

 

why would you want to do that?